1 Kings 3
3
1Solomon made a marriage alliance#3:1. “Marriage alliance”: the word here literally means “make oneself a daughter's husband.” with Pharaoh of Egypt. He married Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to live in the City of David until he finished building his palace, the Lord's Temple, and the walls surrounding Jerusalem. 2In those days, however, the people still sacrificed on the high places because a Temple to honor the Lord hadn't yet been built.
3Solomon showed he loved the Lord by following the instructions of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned offerings on the high places. 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the leading high place. Solomon presented one thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
5The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon. God said to him, “Ask what you want me to give you.”
6Solomon replied, “You showed your servant David, my father, great trustworthy love because he lived his life before you with faithfulness, doing what was right and committed to principle. You have continued to show this great trustworthy love by giving him a son to sit on his throne to this day.
7Now, Lord God, you have made me king in place of my father David. But I am like an inexperienced young boy who doesn't know what to do.#3:7. “What to do”: literally, “going out or coming in.” 8I, your servant, am here among your chosen people, a great people that are so many they cannot be counted. 9So please give me a mind that's receptive so I can rule#3:9. Rule not so much in terms of imposing control but in governing wisely. your people well, understanding the difference between right and wrong, for who can rule this difficult people of yours?”
10The Lord considered that what Solomon asked for was good. 11So God told him, “Because you asked for this, and you didn't ask for a long life, or wealth, or the death of your enemies, but instead you asked for understanding to know what is right, 12I am giving you what you asked for. I am giving you a mind that is wise, with an understanding of what is right, more than anyone else before you or after you. 13I am also giving you what you did not ask for, wealth and status—so much so that no king will compare to you for the whole of your life. 14And if you follow my ways by keeping my laws and my commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”
15Then Solomon woke up and realized he'd had a dream. He went back to Jerusalem, and stood in front of the Ark of the Lord's Agreement and he presented burnt offerings and friendship offerings, and he held a feast for all his officials.
16Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him for judgment.#3:16. “For judgment”: implied by the fact they came before him. 17One of the women spoke up, saying, “If it please Your Majesty: I share a house with this woman. I had a baby while she was living in the house. 18Three days after the birth of my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were together; there was no one else in the house, just the two of us. 19During the night this woman's son died because she rolled over on him. 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I was sleeping. She lay him close beside her to cuddle him, and she lay her dead son close beside me. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son I saw that he was dead. When I looked closely at him in the light I realized it wasn't my son.”
22The other woman argued, “No! My son is the one that's alive. Your son is the one that's dead.” The first woman objected, “No! Your son is the one that's dead. My son is the one that's alive.” They went on quarrelling in front of the king.
23The king intervened, saying, “So this woman says, ‘My son is the one that's alive. Your son is the one that's dead,’ while the other woman says, ‘No! Your son is the one that's dead. My son is the one that's alive.’”
24“Bring me a sword,” the king ordered. So they brought him a sword. 25“Cut the child that's alive in two, and give half to one woman and half to another,” he commanded.
26But the woman whose son was alive had so much love for him as a mother that she cried out to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, give her the boy! Don't kill him!” But the other woman said, “He won't be mine or yours—cut him in two!”
27The king gave his verdict. “Give the child that's alive to the first woman,” he ordered. “On no account kill him, for she is his real mother.”
28When everyone in Israel heard about the verdict the king had delivered, they had great respect for the king, because they recognized the wisdom God had given him to judge rightly.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
1 Kings 3
3
The Lord Appears to Solomon
1Solomon made an alliance#3:1 Lit Solomon made himself a son-in-law with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter.#Dt 7:3; 1Kg 7:8; 9:24; Ezr 9:14 Solomon brought her to the city of David#2Sm 5:7; 7:8; 9:10 until he finished building his palace,#2Sm 7:1–2 the Lord’s temple,#2Sm 6:1,14; 1Kg 6:37; 7:51 and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.#1Kg 9:15 2However, the people were sacrificing on the high places,#Dt 12:13–14 because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name#Dt 14:23 had not been built. 3Solomon loved the Lord#Dt 6:5 by walking in the statutes of his father David,#1Kg 3:14 but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
4The king went to Gibeon#Jos 9:3–27; 21:17 to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.#2Ch 1:3,6 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon#2Ch 1:7–13 in a dream at night.#Nm 12:6; 1Kg 9:2; 11:9 God said, “Ask.#Mt 7:7; Jn 15:7 What should I give you?”
6And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity.#3:6 Lit and uprightness of heart with you You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne,#1Kg 1:48 as it is today.#1Kg 2:4; 9:4; 2Ch 1:8
7“Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place.#2Ch 1:8 Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.#3:7 Lit am a little youth and do not know to go out or come in#1Ch 29:1; Jr 1:6–7 8Your servant is among your people you have chosen,#Ex 19:5–6; Dt 7:6 a people too many to be numbered or counted.#Gn 15:5; 22:17 9So give your servant a receptive heart to judge#Dt 1:16–17 your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?” #2Ch 1:10
10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. 11So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life#3:11 Lit for many days or riches for yourself,#Jms 4:3 or the death#3:11 Lit life of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to administer justice,#1Ch 22:12 12I will therefore do what you have asked.#1Jn 5:14–15 I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.#1Kg 4:29–31; 10:23–24 13In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor,#Mt 6:33; Lk 12:31 so that no king will be your equal during your entire life.#1Kg 10:23 14If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”#1Kg 3:6; Pr 3:1–2
15Then Solomon woke up#Gn 41:7 and realized it had been a dream.#Dn 2:3; 4:5 He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant,#2Sm 6:12 and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.#1Sm 11:15 Then he held a feast#1Kg 8:65 for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom
16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.#Dt 16:18–19; 2Sm 15:2–4 17One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else#3:18 Lit No stranger was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him in her arms, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
22“No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”
The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
23The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’” 24The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25And the king said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion#3:26 Lit because her compassion grew hot#Gn 43:30; Jr 31:20; Hs 11:8 for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”
27The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 28All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom#2Sm 14:20; 1Kg 3:9,11–12 was in him to carry out justice.
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